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Cobb eager to take first swings at Coors

4/24/13: Alex Cobb shuts the Yankees' lineup down over 8 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven

By Owen Perkins
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Special to MLB.com |

DENVER -- Though he's in his third big league season, Rays starting pitcher Alex Cobb's head is spinning with thoughts of a Major League milestone he'll pass when he starts Sunday's series finale with the Rockies.

He'll have the chance to do something he hasn't done in a baseball game since he was a senior at Vero Beach High School in Florida: swing a bat.

"I'm pretty excited," Cobb said of the opportunity that has eluded him through his first two years in the American League. "I've got to contain myself a little bit and not focus too much on the hitting part of things. Remember, I got a game to pitch, too. I'm very excited, I've been taking extra BP. I have a lot of swings running through my head where it's usually pitching mechanics. I'll make sure to get my mind right before I step on the mound."

Cobb described himself as a "three-hole" hitter in high school, hitting for average and power and comparing himself to Evan Longoria.

"I like to think of myself as Longo," Cobb said. "I had a decent average. I think I had three or four home runs, nothing to talk about. I probably had a .350-to-.400 average."

Cobb was happy to see Friday's starter Matt Moore get the green light to swing in two at-bats with men on base and none out in the series opener, a sign of confidence from manager Joe Maddon.

"It depends on who my pitcher is and who their pitcher is," Maddon said. "If I think our pitcher who's hitting can handle their pitcher, then I'll let him swing. If I don't think that they can, based on what I'm seeing, then we're apt to try to bunt."

On Friday, the Rockies had Jeff Francis on the mound, and with a fastball topping in the mid-to-upper 80s, Maddon liked the matchup with Moore, who moved the runner both times with infield grounders.

"You got a good athlete in Matty Moore -- he can hit," Maddon said. "If Francis had made a mistake there, I could see a double going down that right-field line, too. In [Coors Field], it's hard to just play for the one-run victory early in the game. I learned that lesson many years ago. So I don't even want us to think about that. We have pitchers on this team that are offensively challenged that I would have had bunting right there, absolutely. But if the guy's got some ability, we'll let him hit."

Asked if he'll be borrowing a bat from one of the position players, Cobb seemed taken aback.